Online doctor, France
See a Doctor in France as a Visitor Online, in English.
Yes, you can see a doctor online as a visitor to France. Pomodoc connects you by video with an English-speaking doctor licensed to treat you in France, for a fixed €40, from wherever you are staying, with no carte vitale or French insurance needed. For a minor problem, a French pharmacy is often the quickest first stop. In a medical emergency call 15, or 112 from any phone.
- €40
- per consultation
- No carte vitale
- or French insurance needed
France has doctors and pharmacies almost everywhere. The hard part, when you are somewhere new and feeling rotten, is finding one who will see you today and can do it in English.
English-speaking doctors, licensed to treat you in France.
What to Do If You Get Sick in France
The right route depends on how serious it is and what time it is. Start at the top.
It is an emergency
Call 15 for the SAMU, or 112 from any phone, if someone has chest pain, difficulty breathing, sudden weakness or confusion, or will not wake properly. Do not book anything first.
A minor problem, during the day
Start at a pharmacy. French pharmacists advise on minor illness, and since June 2024 a trained pharmacist can treat a small number of conditions after a rapid test at the counter.
You need a pharmacy at night, on a Sunday or a public holiday
Find the pharmacie de garde, the duty pharmacy, on 3237 or at 3237.fr. At night some towns ask you to contact the commissariat or gendarmerie first, who give you the address.
You need a GP out of hours
In the regions where it runs, 116 117 reaches an on-call GP from 8pm, from Saturday noon at weekends and on public holidays. It is free, but it is not yet available everywhere in France.
You are in Paris
SOS Médecins Grand Paris sends a doctor to your address on 3624 and runs walk-in medical centres across the city. Seeing a doctor in Paris
You want a doctor's opinion in English, without travelling
A Pomodoc video consultation connects you with an English-speaking doctor licensed to treat you in France, for a fixed €40. The doctor can also tell you whether you need to be seen in person.
Medical Care in English, Anywhere in France
Finding a doctor abroad can be difficult. Especially when you need to explain your symptoms in a language you are not comfortable speaking.
With Pomodoc, you can speak directly with an English-speaking doctor wherever you are in France. Discuss your symptoms, ask questions and understand your next steps without travelling to a clinic.
- Consult securely by video
- Avoid unnecessary travel and waiting rooms
- Get clear guidance about your symptoms and treatment
- Access care while travelling or living in France
Your Options in France
France has a dense network of doctors and pharmacies, and for a lot of problems the right answer is a short walk away. Here is what each route is good for, and where a video consultation fits.
What is already around you in France
- a pharmacist who can advise, and who since June 2024 may treat a small number of conditions without a prescription
- a GP surgery, if you can find one with an appointment while you are there
- the pharmacie de garde rota, which covers nights, Sundays and public holidays
- 15 for a medical emergency, or 112 from any phone
None of that depends on us, and for a minor problem the counter down the road may be all you need. What it does depend on is getting there, being seen, and doing the whole thing in French.
What a video consultation adds
- a doctor who speaks English, without hunting for one who does
- no travelling, and no waiting room, from wherever you are staying
- no carte vitale, no French registration and no local insurance in the way
- a clear answer on whether this needs in-person care at all
Pomodoc connects you with an English-speaking doctor by video, licensed to treat you in France, for €40 per consultation. Fixed price, no surprises.
Sometimes a pharmacy two streets away is all you need — and a doctor can tell you whether that is the case here, or whether this needs more. The section below covers both.
Your consultation runs on Air Doctor's ISO‑certified platform (ISO/IEC 27001 & ISO 27799 for health data). See our security & certifications.
The pharmacy is a real first stop in France
Since June 2024 a trained French pharmacist has been able to dispense antibiotics for a small number of conditions without a prescription, after a rapid test at the counter. The rules are narrow and they exclude large groups of people, so whether the route is open to you is worth checking before you book anything.
How It Works
Medical advice by video in three simple steps
Start online
Tell us where you are in France and what is going on. It is a short form, not an appointment request.
Join by video
See your English-speaking doctor using your phone, tablet or computer.
Get clear guidance
Discuss your symptoms and receive advice about your next steps.
Why Use a Video Doctor?
Explain it in English
Describe your symptoms and ask questions in English, instead of translating them first or hoping the surgery has someone who speaks it.
Get help without leaving your accommodation
Attend your appointment from your hotel, holiday rental, home or workplace.
Save time while travelling
Avoid searching for a local clinic or waiting in an unfamiliar healthcare setting.
Find out whether the local route covers you
A doctor can tell you whether a French pharmacy or surgery is the better stop for what you have, and what to ask for when you get there.
Travellers who needed a doctor abroad
What a fantastic service.
What a fantastic service. So easy to organise a virtual appointment (even for an iPhone dunce like me). I was in France and became unwell with a chest infection.…
Excellent doctor
Excellent doctor, very professional and friendly and speaks excellent english
Outstanding service
Outstanding service. Took away my worry. Very helpful.
Reviews of Air Doctor, our medical partner, published on Trustpilot.
More About Seeing a Doctor in France
The pharmacy is a real first stop in France, for some things
French pharmacists advise on minor problems as a matter of course, and since June 2024 a trained pharmacist has been able to dispense antibiotics for a small number of conditions without a prescription, after running a rapid test in the pharmacy. The rules are narrow and they exclude large groups of people.
Because the criteria genuinely decide whether the route is open to you, they live on their own page rather than being summarised here. If you have urinary symptoms, start there: it is the one condition where the pharmacy route may mean you need no appointment at all.
If it is the middle of the night, or a Sunday
France runs a duty-pharmacy rota, the pharmacie de garde, covering nights, Sundays and public holidays. You can find the nearest one by calling 3237 or through the RésoGardes service at 3237.fr.
At night many duty pharmacies work behind closed shutters for security, and in a number of towns you are asked to contact the local commissariat or gendarmerie first, who will give you the address. That is normal and it is not a sign you have gone to the wrong place.
Why nobody will ask you for a médecin traitant
French residents register a médecin traitant, a named GP who coordinates their care and who is the first stop for anything routine. A visitor does not have one and is not expected to.
It is worth knowing because most French guidance about seeing a doctor is written for people inside that system, and assumes both a médecin traitant and a carte vitale. If advice you find seems to require paperwork you do not have, that is usually why, and it does not mean you cannot be seen.
Words that help at the counter or on the phone
| In French | What it means |
|---|---|
| un médecin généraliste | a GP |
| une ordonnance | a prescription, not an order |
| sans ordonnance | without a prescription |
| une pharmacie de garde | the duty pharmacy, open out of hours |
| les urgences | the emergency department |
| j’ai besoin d’un médecin | I need a doctor |
| je ne suis pas assuré en France | I am not insured in France |
| Parlez-vous anglais ? | Do you speak English? |
Ordonnance is the word most likely to trip you up: it means prescription, not the English word it resembles.
Questions visitors ask about doctors in France
Can I see a doctor in France as a tourist?
Yes. You do not need to be registered in France, and you do not need a carte vitale, to be seen by a doctor there. In practice the obstacles are finding a surgery that can fit you in while you are in town and managing the appointment in French. A Pomodoc video consultation removes both: you speak to an English-speaking doctor, licensed to treat you in France, from wherever you are staying.
Can I use telehealth in France as a tourist?
Yes. With Pomodoc, telehealth means a video consultation with an English-speaking doctor licensed to treat you in France, from your hotel, holiday rental or wherever you are staying, for a fixed €40. You do not need a carte vitale, French registration or French insurance. It is for suitable non-emergency concerns; in an emergency call 15, or 112 from any phone.
Where can I get urgent care in France?
It depends on how urgent it is. For a life-threatening emergency, call 15, or 112 from any phone. For medicine out of hours, find the pharmacie de garde on 3237. For an on-call GP in the evening or at the weekend, 116 117 works in the regions where it runs, and in Paris SOS Médecins sends a doctor to you on 3624. For a doctor's opinion in English without travelling, a Pomodoc video consultation costs €40, and the doctor will tell you if you need to be seen in person.
Can I use an online doctor while staying in Nice or on the Côte d'Azur?
Yes. A Pomodoc consultation takes place by video, so it works wherever you are staying in France, including Nice and the rest of the Côte d'Azur: you speak to an English-speaking doctor licensed to treat you in France, for €40. In an emergency, call 15, or 112 from any phone, as anywhere else in France.
Can I see an English-speaking doctor in France?
Yes, and there are two ways. Some French doctors speak English, particularly in Paris and other large cities, but you have to find one and there is no guarantee about who is free when you need them. Pomodoc connects you with an English-speaking doctor by video, licensed to treat you in France, for €40 per consultation.
Do I need a carte vitale or French health insurance?
Not for a Pomodoc consultation. You pay €40 per consultation directly, it is a fixed price, and no French registration or local insurance is involved.
What do I do if I need a doctor at night or on a Sunday in France?
For an emergency, call 15, or 112 from any phone. For a pharmacy, France runs a duty rota called the pharmacie de garde covering nights, Sundays and public holidays, and you can find the nearest one on 3237 or at 3237.fr. At night many work behind closed shutters, and some towns ask you to contact the local commissariat or gendarmerie first.
Can a doctor prescribe for me in France by video?
A doctor may issue a prescription when it is clinically appropriate and local rules permit. It is not guaranteed, and some medicines cannot be prescribed remotely at all. Medication you buy at a pharmacy is not included in the €40.
Do I need to speak French to use Pomodoc in France?
No. The consultation is in English, with a doctor licensed to treat you in France, so you can describe your symptoms and ask questions without translating them first. If the doctor advises you to go to a pharmacy or a surgery afterwards, the vocabulary section above gives you the handful of French words that make that easier.
How much does a Pomodoc video consultation cost?
€40 is the fixed price of the video consultation with a doctor. It includes the consultation and, where clinically appropriate and local rules permit, a prescription. Medication you buy at a pharmacy, and any in-person care you go on to need, are separate. There is no subscription and no booking fee.
When is a video consultation not the right call?
Not when it is an emergency. A video consultation is for suitable non-emergency concerns: chest pain, difficulty breathing, sudden weakness or confusion, heavy bleeding, or someone who will not wake properly are not. In France, in a life-threatening emergency call 15, or 112 from any phone first. It is also not the right tool when a doctor needs to examine you, take a swab or run a test — if that is what your symptoms need, the useful outcome of the call is being told so early, and the guide above says which routes are better for that.
Sources
- Dans quels cas un pharmacien peut-il délivrer un antibiotique sans ordonnance ?Service-Public.fr, Direction de l'information légale et administrativeThat since June 2024 a trained pharmacist in France may dispense antibiotics for a small number of conditions without a prescription, after a rapid test, subject to criteria that are set out on the urinary infection page rather than here.
- Pharmacies de garde de nuits, dimanches et jours fériésAgence régionale de santé Nouvelle-AquitaineThe duty-pharmacy rota, finding it via 3237 and RésoGardes, and contacting the commissariat or gendarmerie for night access in some towns.
- Les numéros utiles nationauxMa Sécurité, Ministère de l'Intérieur15 for medical emergencies, 112 across the EU, 114 for deaf and hard-of-hearing callers, and 17 and 18 for police and fire.
- What are the emergency numbers (Samu, firefighters...) and listening numbers?Service-Public.fr, Direction de l'information légale et administrativeThat 116 117 reaches an on-call doctor, free, from 8pm on weekdays, from Saturday noon at weekends and on public holidays, and that it is not yet available throughout France.
Sources last checked: . General information, not a diagnosis.
Need Medical Advice in France?
Speak to an English-speaking doctor by video and get guidance from wherever you are.
- €40, fixed price
- Licensed in France
- English-speaking doctors
- Prescriptions where available
Video consultations are for suitable non-emergency medical concerns. In a life-threatening emergency in France, call 15, or 112 from any phone. 114 takes reports by text or video if you are deaf or hard of hearing. This page is general information, not medical advice about your own situation.